The present invention relates to a device composed of two arms, flattened in shape, which are joint-articulated with each other and have the free extremities pivoted on the respective lateral walls of the bottom and of the cover of an ordinary suitcase, in order to keep the cover itself lifted in respect to the bottom, when the suitcase is in open position.
Devices of this type, which from now on will be simply called cover-holders, are already known, but they are either of limited practical use or composed of a high number of components which require particular machining and are difficult to mechanically assemble.
To the first category belong, for instance, the cover-holders having two arms, generally coplanar, provided with an articulated joint rather simple and permitting a right angle opening between the cover and the bottom of the suitcase.
In these types of cover-holders, the opening and the subsequent holding in position of the cover is obtained when two said arms, rotating around the central joint, reach a perfect alignment, blocking themselves in this position, this determining a sort of strut between the bottom and the cover of the suitcase.
The most important disadvantage of said technique is the need to release manually the two arms of each cover-holder before proceeding the suitcase shutting.
Should the user forget to accomplish this operation, the force exerted on the cover could lead to the breakage of the joints between the arms and the lateral walls of the suitcase, or to the breakage of the articulation connection between the arms themselves, or directly of the articulation joints between the cover and the bottom of the suitcase. Cover-holders are also known which, once in place, do not require any manual operation, but, as already said, they are very complicated from a constructional point of view and do not lend themselves to be assembled.
For instance, according to another well-known technique, in the articulation joint of the two cover-holder arms, properly hinged between them, is placed a spring, laying at one extremity on a small sphere suitable to engage in a proper seat machined in one of the two arms, which blocks the cover-holder and keeps it in a lifted position.